Staging Your Home-Leaky Faucets

Most faucet leaks can easily be fixed with a rubber washer, an O-ring or seals depending on what type of faucet it is.  By fixing the problem yourself, you can save a good bit of money since plumbers can be expensive and will charge you a standard fee even if it takes only 10 minutes to fix the problem.



Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

Staging Your Home-Nail Pops

Nail pops are a annoying and seen in many homes especially in dryer climates.  The term comes from the nails that hold the drywall to the studs actually popping out through the face of the drywall.  This is from either a house settling, poor workmanship (? my opinion) or a home settling thus squeezing the nail out of the wood and pushing it through the drywall.  The fix for this isn't terribly hard but it's tedious because there are up to 32 nails in a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of drywall.  My suggestion is to pound the nail through the drywall to the stud.  Then just above it place a drywall screw to hold the drywall to the sud and finish it off with a few coats of joint compound.  Finally, seal and paint it.  Many home improvement stores also sell nail pop kits that can make this job easier.


Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

Staging Your Home-Squeaky Stairs

The most common problems that occur in a staircase is that the horizontal surface of the steps (treads) are coming loose and that causes squeaking.  Another common problem are the spindles or balusters coming loose.  If you can get underneath the staircase fixing the treads is easy.  You will need to attach an L-bracket from the underside of the tread to the stringer (the long piece of wood that connects the treads and runs diagonally up the wall).  If you can't get underneath the staircase, you'll have to make the repair from above.  Squeaky stair kits are available that allow you to make this fix even through the carpet.  Otherwise, you can secure the tread to the stringer with a time screw.



Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

Home Showing Hints

Follow these following hints for successful home showings and the Realtors will love you:

Staging - Staging is simply preparing your home as if you were setting a stage for a play.  Make it feel very complete and comfortable for the buyer as they tour the property.


Descriptive Signing - Another specialty technique involves the use of small, professionally printed signs approximately two inches high and two to four inches wide.  The signs can be placed throughout the home pointing out specific highlights of the property.


Should You be there? - It is almost always best that a seller vacates the property when it is being shown.  Many potential buyers feel uncomfortable if the seller is in the home as a buyer will want to look at the property very carefully (ie. storage areas, closets, cabinets, under beds and in the garage).


Children and Pets - If children are present during the showing, you should make every effort to keep them out of certain areas of the home while those portions of the home are being shown.  Also, some buyers are allergic or afraid of pets.  It's a good idea to keep pets out of the home or caged during the showing.


Cards Left at Showings - It is very important for you to provide the listing agent with all of the business cards of agents which have been left each time the property has been shown. The listing agent should receive the information on the cards as soon as possible.  This will allow your agent to make contact with the buyer's agent and receive feedback on the showing. 

Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com 

Staging Your Home--How to Remove Oil Stains on a Garage Floor

You can remove most of an oil stain with elbow grease and scrubbing.  Start removing the surface oil by sprinkling some cat litter on it to soak it up.  Then clear away the cat litter and concentrate on the stain.  Make a paste of hot water and dry laundry or dishwasher detergent.  Use a stiff bristle scrub brush to scrub the area with the paste.  Hose the area and let it dry.  Another way is to use a product such as Spray 'n Wash on the stain along with the detergent and let it sit for 10 minutes.  If that doesn't do the job then spray on some oven cleaner.  Use just a small amount, wash it down thoroughly and keep children and pets away from it.



Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

Minor Property Conditions that FHA does NOT REQUIRE Automatic Repair

 *Missing Handrails

*Cracked or damaged doors exit doors that are otherwise operable

*Crack Window glass

*Defective paint surfaces in homes constructed post 1978

*Minor plumbing leaks (such as leaky faucets)

*Defective floor finish or covering (worn through the finish, badly soiled      carpeting

*Evidence of previous (non-active) Wood Destroying Insect/Organism damage where there is no evidence of non-repaired structural damage

*Rotten or worn out counter tops

*Damaged plaster, sheet-rock or other wall and ceiling materials in homes constructed post 1978

*Poor workmanship

*Trip hazards (cracked or partially heaving sidewalks, poorly installed 

carpeting)

*Crawl space with debris and trash

*Lack of an all weather driveway surface

While not all inclusive, this should give you an idea what issues might concern an FHA appraiser doing an appraisal on your home.

Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act

The Federal Protecting Tenants of Foreclosure Act enacted into law a little over a year ago trumps Arizona law by requiring purchasers of home from foreclosure sales to honor certain existing leases.  They must also provide a 90-day notice prior to suing for eviction.  

There are exceptions and qualifications purchasers should be aware of prior to buying a foreclosure property.  Purchasers who buy with the intent to occupy the home as their primary residence are not required to honor existing leases but still must give the tenant a 90-day notice to vacate before they can sue to evict the tenant.  


The law also does not apply to tenants or leases that are not bona fide.  To qualify under the law the foreclosed owner or his/her spouse, child or parent cannot be listed as the tenant.  Furthermore a lease must be the result of an arms-length transaction and the set rental rate cannot be substantially below fair market.  Lastly, the lease must have been signed prior to the foreclosure notice being recorded.

Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

REAL ESTATE MOVES-TOP MOST FORGOTTEN ITEMS

When you are running around on moving day, here are some items to remember:

A. Copies of family medical records, vet records and prescriptions to transfer to a destination pharmacy.  Also your child's permanent school record and shot records.


B. Anything that you have placed in a hidden spot....like jewelery, wills or other valuables.


C. Check with the dry cleaners to make sure you haven't forgotten to pick up your favorite piece of clothing.


D. Keep your new address handy....you may be so stressed that you can actually forget it.


E.  Leave out cleaning supplies for a final cleaning.  Many of these items mover's won't transport anyway.


F.  Don't pack your garage door openers and appliance instruction manuals.  Put them in the cabinet over the stove with a sign for the movers "Don't Pack" on the doors. Spare house keys, mailbox keys and pool keys should be placed there too.


G. Don't forget your pets.  Make arrangements for their transport....just don't leave them with the house....like so many people are doing these days.


H.  Open a destination bank account about a month before your move so that you will have immediate access to your funds and local bank checks.  This also gives the Title company an account for the transfer of closing funds from the sale of your home.


I.  Collect all the spare keys (from neighbors or other outside hiding places) and leave them in a predetermined spot for the new owners.